


Save Yourself

by TrashCan_Inc



Category: Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys (Album), My Chemical Romance
Genre: Anger born of worry, Dr D is the cool uncle we all deserve, Dr D ships it, First Kiss, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Romantic Tension, WARNING for brief mention of depression and sort of elusion to someone having a death wish?, chapter 2 is v sweet so don't be discouraged by the hecking angsty tags for chapter 1, jet star and kobra kid, jet star is the mom friend but also very badass, killjoys, kobra is emotionally repressed, long conversations, mom friend, respecting boundaries, self doubt, the car doesn't talk but i consider it a character because f-ck you, wow can u tell angst is a theme in all my fics
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-03
Updated: 2017-09-09
Packaged: 2018-12-23 12:14:40
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,406
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11989584
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TrashCan_Inc/pseuds/TrashCan_Inc
Summary: Jet Star and Kobra Kid have a clap with some dracs. They don't get Ghosted, but they do get mad at each other for saving each others asses and getting into harm's way.





	1. Save Yourself

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this fic because i am GAY. Also because I recently drew angsty JetKobra art on my instagram and I still feel bad for everyone who cried.
> 
> NOTE: I don't ship real people ships because of personal preference, but I do ship JetKobra because they are fictional characters.

"You could! have fucking! _died_ , Jet!" Kobra Kid exclaimed, whipping off his shades abruptly and piercingly staring Jet Star straight in the eyes.

When Kobra took off his sunglasses, it meant one of three things: he loved you, he was about to throw down and _fight_ you, or he was just cleaning them. He'd take them off if a clap with a Draculoid or Exterminator got personal, if they'd tried to hurt one of Kobra's loved ones. He'd take them off if he'd been long separated from Poison or The Girl and needed to give them a hug and be happy they were safe. Jet Star had never seen Kobra kiss anyone, but he assumed he took off his shades for that too.

Jet had seen Kobra's eyes _twice_ today. The first time being when he aggressively took out a Drac who had pistol whipped Jet, snarling (yes, _snarling_ ) and leaping to beat the Drac to a pulp before ghosting it and its companion. The second time being now, sitting on the hood of the Trans Am in a quiet, serene area of the desert, with Kobra's enraged voice being the only sound echoing off the nearby rock formations. Both times, there was a fire in his eyes, but right now it was diluted, as though it were being quenched by angry tears that may or may not have been about to form, but didn't, instead hiding _behind_ his eyes, and behind several layers of emotional repression.

"You could have _died_ ," he repeated, his tone firm, but his voice shaky.

"Well, what was I _supposed_ to do, Kobra," Jet pleaded.

"STAY OUT OF HARM'S WAY, IS WHAT YOU WERE _SUPPOSED_ TO DO!" he screamed.

"That's rich coming from the guy who jumped on a drac's back and _beat the shit out of him_ for me! I couldn't 'stay out of the way', I was trying to save YOU!!"

"I don't... _need_ saving!" he said through gritted teeth, now looking as far away from Jet's gaze as he could.

"Yes, you did, Tough Guy, and I wasn't gonna let some fucking _Drac_ kill you, no matter what death wish you have--"

"I FUCKING _TOLD_ YOU I DON'T HAVE A DEATH WISH. What, do you think this is some _depression_ thing?? That I'm trying to _die_ just because I saved my stupid friend who stood _RIGHT IN THE WAY_ OF A DRAC!"

"I'm just saying, you shouldn't be a hypocrite," Jet stated, calming down just a little.

"You don't... you don't _understand_ , Jet. It's not the same thing. The team _needs_ you so _much_..."

"AND YOU THINK THEY DON'T NEED _YOU_??"

"I'm just saying, I don't have an irreplaceable role like you do. You're the parent to the team, simmering down petty in-group fights, being a parental figure for The Girl, using your smarts to help us get food and stay safe. Poison's the leader, keeping morale up, making plans, keeping the Killjoy movement _alive_. Ghoul's the demolitions expert, building bombs, physically kicking everyone's ass, and being streetsmart. And The Girl... well, she's the reason for _everything_. And what am I, besides the guy who drives the Trans Am and hacks vending machines! I don't even bother making myself have sentimental value because I'm too much of an introverted _piece of shit_ to talk to people and hug people and have 'comeradere' and shit! I'M _EXPENDABLE_ , AND YOU'RE _NOT_!!"

"Are you... are you _fucking kidding me_ right now? Kobra, you're not the sum of what _you_ think is 'valuable'. You're the karate king! Ghoul thinks of you as the brother he never had. The Girl thinks you're the coolest thing since sliced bread! Poison would _**die**_ without you, Kobra!! Did you EVER think of that??"

"I'm just _saying_ ," he murmured, his voice intensely quivering now. "I'm just... I'm just pissed that you'd risk having the team lose _you_ instead of _me_ , don't you think that--"

"WELL MAYBE I'M JUST SELFISH THEN, HUH??" Jet threw his arms up in the air, as Kobra was lost for words. "IS THAT WHAT YOU WANNA SAY? Listen... Kobra," he inhaled deeply, returning to his normal speaking voice. "People _love_ you. _I love you_ , Kobra!! No one's unlovable just because they're not a paragon of Neurotypical standards or whatever! And not a _single person_ on this _fucking planet_ is expendable, unless they're such a cruel asshole that they _deserve_ to be ghosted! You saved my fucking _life_ today, and I couldn't even thank you, because you got mad at me for trying to save yours first!"

Neither of them spoke for a while, both just breathed deeply, steadying their heart rates, before Kobra finally spoke.

"I love you too, Jet," he murmured, practically a whisper. "And that's why I didn't want to watch you die."

"I'd never want to watch you die either, ya Snake Boy," Jet breathed. "So how's about we just agree to protect each other, without arguing about it, yeah?"

"Deal," said Kobra, smirking.

They hugged each other, first patting each other on the back, before melting into a soft, still, warm embrace, their arms wrapped so tightly around each other, as if they feared some Drac would try pull them apart. They sat like that for what felt like an eternity, each with their head resting on the other's shoulder, taking in the softness and the _alive-ness_ of each other, the feeling that ' _thank god, this treasure of a human being is still here_ ', and successfully preventing themselves from crying.

Eventually they pulled apart, only a little, just so their faces were only an inch or so apart, just visually taking each other in. They just stayed staring, before the warmness of their faces became apparent, the warmness from being this _close_ , and the thought that 'they were alone, and they were _alive_ , and they were _alone **together**_ surrounded by miles of the most beautiful and quiet part of the desert they knew, and they _might as well_ ', and their faces inched closer again.

And when their lips met, it was only for a few seconds, but just enough to savour the softness of each other's kiss, savour that electric feeling of secrecy, of this being no one's business of theirs, that _heavenly_ feeling of it, before they finally pulled apart again, ever so slowly, as if they weren't sure they wanted to let go.

And then, once again, they sat in silence on the hood of the Trans Am, just two Killjoys bathed in the serene afternoon sunlight, each shaking just a little, and smiling softly.


	2. Out on Route Meridian

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> WOOT time for some goddamn fluff and romantic tension. Dr D is the cool uncle we all deserve.

The kiss had been the most spontaneous, exciting, _electrifying_ thing Jet Star had ever remembered doing. His skin still prickled long afterwards, his mind whirling with thoughts of what it _meant_ , how it _felt_.   
Most importantly, in a world where Jet hardly had any privacy, where he was constantly surrounded by the other Killjoys, devoting all his time to them, he finally had something that felt like _his_. He'd _kissed_ someone, and he didn't have to tell a single soul.

But honestly? Not talking about it at all was pretty shit.

Kobra Kid took the wheel on the drive home from that beautiful expanse of desert. The absolutely _wordless_ drive home. Both of them were still shaking a little, thanks to those weird, unfamiliar post-first-kiss nerves, and Jet wanted nothing more than to talk about it. But he couldn't. And he didn't quite know what was keeping his mouth shut: maybe he was waiting for Kobra to talk first, to keep him comfortable at his own pace; maybe he thought that talking _at all_ about the kiss would take away the _magic_ of it, the mystery; and maybe he was just _afraid_. Jet couldn't tell which scenario he feared most: that he and Kobra were in love with each other, or that the kiss meant nothing, and was just simply a spur-of-the-moment thing brought on by weird emotions after ending an argument.

Emotions that _apparently_ could only be expressed by a five-second kiss on the goddamn lips, just before a beautiful sunset.

 _Goddamnit_.

Kobra had his shades on again, making his face unreadable. He stared straight ahead, eyes on the road, and said nothing. It was almost as if the kiss never happened. But here and there, he showed signs of his own nerves - the way his lips curled from Poker Face to Shy Half-Smile whenever he had to glance in Jet's direction, the way his hand tensed just a little if his fingers brushed against Jet while reaching for the gear lever.

But Kobra wasn't talking about it, and Jet wasn't going to stress him by forcing the issue.

By the time they arrived back at the diner, it was as though everything was back to normal. Kobra ran to Poison, the latter immediately clasping him in a hug and asking him all about the drac fight, making sure his little brother was okay. The Girl ran to hug Jet's legs, and Ghoul was just about ready to tackle him, like an excited puppy dog. Jet and Poison had a conversation about the fight, and about some new plans for hiding from BLI and defeating their agents. And just as the sun was lowering over the horizon, the five of them were heading to the area behind the diner, to sit around a fire and have dinner with Cherri Cola and Show Pony. It was peaceful.

By the time they headed inside to their usual sleeping places (the various back rooms of the old diner building), Jet had almost forgotten what the kiss felt like, and he was 100% content that everything would return to normal, that he and Kobra were just two friends whose lips had touched one time, and he was fairly certain he wasn't going to keep dreaming about Kobra, or his hazel eyes, or how nice he'd look all cleaned up in a suit, or how soft his face was.

***

"Okay, so... your hypothetical boyfriend - what's he look like exactly?"

"He'd not my _boyfriend_ , D," Jet sighed, face-palming with exasperation. "And this person does not _exist_ , they're just hypothetical!"

"I gotcha, kiddo," said D, winking.

Dr Death Defying was a soothing presence. He was old enough that you could expect him to be mature, to be ready with advice, and to not blab anything you tell him. But he was also young enough (in terms of both attitude and actual age), that you didn't feel the need to be formal around him, or to conservatively skip around certain details. He was roughly the Killjoy equivalent of a cool father figure. Which is why Jet relished in the opportunity to get a moment alone in the studio with him in the morning, before he either had a broadcast scheduled, or before another person tried to ask him for advice first.

"So, let me get this straight - you and the hypothetical dreamboat smooch quickly while making up after an argument, and you wanna know if they _like-like_ you?"

Jet blew on his coffee to cool it, slightly too aggressively, tipping a few drops from the purple plastic cup. "Not my _exact_ words, but yeah, I... uhhhh guess." He awkwardly shifted a little where he stood, taking a quick sip of coffee - still too hot - before continuing. "I'm just not... _experienced_ in this kinda thing, ya know?"

"Aw shucks, son," said D, smiling and turning his wheelchair so that he was now fully facing Jet. "Well if you kissed them, you must think they're pretty, right? At least on the inside?"

Dr D laughed to see the blush on Jet's face deepen.

"Honestly, I'm proud of you, kid," D continued, in his most dad-ly tone. "You spend so much time looking out for all those motorbabies in your gang, you deserve a little something like that! Just, you know, pretend I'm patting you on the back, you're kind of too tall for me to reach."

Jet laughed, his nerves calming a little. "Thanks D. Honestly though, I'm just... I'm worried that I'm reading too much into it. Maybe it meant nothing, it was just... a thing that happened and that's it, and I'm just freaking out about nothing, y'know?"

"Well, if they're someone who'd play with your heart like that, I'd suggest saving yourself some trouble and dumping them like a hotcake."

" _No no no_ , they're a _wonderful_ person!" Jet sputtered, shaking his head and waving his free hand defensively. "They're one of the _best_ friends I've ever had, and they're so heroic and brave and kind and thoughtful and I--", he stopped, noticing D's knowing smirk forming.

"Well I sure am glad to hear that, son. That sounds like a cool cat I should know, huh?"

Jet tensed again, his face heating up like a desert sun. "I mean, you know a lot of people, I have a lot of friends, maybe you could know them, it's statistically _likely_ , but you might not..."

"So, which one is it?" D asked, still calm as ever, somehow sounding like both a cool uncle and a high school gossip. "Is it Cherri?"

"What? _No_!"

"Dang, he seemed like your type. Pony?"

" _Really_?!"

"You're right, they're too wild for you. News A GoGo? Hot Chimp? Nah, probably not Chimp, she's too old for you."

Jet rolled his eyes, willing D to stop listing his friends, but still smiled amusedly.

"Fun Ghoul?"

"Wha-- god, _**NO**_??"

"Don't be too harsh on the kid, he seems like a good egg. So is it Poison, then? Sure sounded like you were describing Poison."

"Absolutely _not_!! We made out oNE TIME when we were drunk, okay! I _don't_ have a thing for him!"

"I heard that you were makin' out with Ghoul _at the same time_ in that 'one instance', and you didn't try justify him..."

"Anyway, that was _last year_!!"

"Okay, kid, don't spill your coffee, I'm just messin' with ya!" D warmly chuckled. "So, last guess, is it--"

D's words trailed off, his eyes moving towards the source of nearby, slow footsteps by the door of the SlaughterMatic Studio. His smile widened.

"Well if it isn't the man of the hour!"

Jet Star saw that shock of blonde hair pass him in the doorway, and his stomach nearly sank to his feet. D, luckily, noticed Jet's discomfort immediately, and knew to soothe the awkward atmosphere with his kindly, sonorous voice.

"Kobra Kiddo over here offered to help out at the station today! I've been waiting on you, my man!"

"Hey D!" Kobra greeted, giving the man a fist bump, and setting a plastic bag down on a nearby table. "I brought a couple bottles of water to drink, and some weird cleaning stuff I got from Chow Mein's. I won't need to voice any broadcasts, right?"

"Not if you don't want to, son," said D, patting Kobra's back as well as he could. "But I gotta tell you something."

D motioned for Kobra to come closer, and the latter kneeled a little in front of him. "Ya see, Pony got into a little trouble with Chow Mein yesterday, stealing from his shop. And as punishment, they're having their day off moved to tomorrow. It's not much, but it'll drive the kid _nuts_. So unfortunately, since they're working, I have nothing for you to do in studio today."

"Okay," Kobra shrugged, not really sounding disappointed or excited. "I'll just leave this here though, yeah?"

"Sure thing! I'll call you in tomorrow if you still wanna fill in for him then. But in the meantime, I've got a little job for you: Tommy Chow Mein's been in a lil bad mood lately, so I wanna give him a gift. A succulent desert flower that grows around an Oasis or two in a nearby Zone. He goes nuts for that kinda thing. So..." he turned to gesture at Jet, leading Kobra to turn to look at him. "I figured you boys could use a light roadtrip after the stress of yesterday's clap. There's no drac patrols, no aggressive rogue Killjoys, it's mostly open road of Route Meridian. You in?"

"You betcha," Kobra said, smiling and jangling the Trans Am's keys. "I've still got snacks and water packed. Meet you in the car, Jet?"

" _Sure_!" Jet practically whispered, giving Kobra a friendly smile as the latter skipped out to the Trans Am. Jet, so far, had been doing a great job at not shaking with embarrassment and falling on the spot, for a person in his position. But as soon as Kobra was out of sight and out of earshot, Jet Star glared at D.

"I _knew_ it was him all along, Starboy!" D said smugly, winking and adjusting his shades. "What with you boys having spent... _quite a few hours_ alone together yesterday. How was the scenery like on Route Guano? Take any pictures?"

"Oh shut up," Jet chuckled, leaning to make his way outside. "I have a lot more friends than that, by the way, you wouldn't have narrowed it down _that_ quickly, Sherlock!"

"I'm sure you do, Sunshine. Run along now, this old man's got a radio show to do, and you have a sweet ride to catch."

***

They were miles out into the next Zone when Kobra finally broke the silence.

"You can talk, you know. I'm usually the tongue-tied one"

Jet was surprised, having been so deep in thought, staring out the window, that he'd forgotten he was even in the car. "Oh... Oh right, sorry! I was just, uh... lost in thought, y'know?"

"It's cool," Kobra murmured, giving him the tiniest smile. "But please talk to me. I like the sound of your voice. Keeps me sane while I'm driving."

Jet felt his heart practically jump out of his throat. This was actually _happening_.

"No problem! I'd better take a few sips of water then, helps me talk better."

"Hey, you sure you don't wanna listen to the radio? I do like the peacefulness, just wondering."

Jet, who was gulping as much water as he thought could quench his nervous dry throat, didn't have a way of admitting that Dr Death Defying was almost definitely playing slow romantic tunes on his radio station today, which was going to make it more awkward to sit alone in the car together. He imagined he was probably giving some poetic monologue about punk love or something. Smug bastard.

"Nah, it's cool. Helps me hear my own thoughts better. So, uh... hey, how's your shoulder after yesterday's clap? You fell pretty hard yesterday."

"Oh, yeah. Yesterday. That was uh... that was pretty wild, huh." Kobra paused, uncharacteristically tense. "Okay, you know what--"

All of a sudden, he floored it, swerving the car off the road, parking once he reached the conspicuously dense area of desert plants - an Oasis.

Kobra took off his shades, so that he could make direct eye contact with Jet. He stared for a moment, just silently frowning, before even trying to speak again.

" _Please_ ," he breathed. " _Talk to me._ "

Jet was _stunned_. Kobra's voice was pleading, anxious... _He'd been just as worked up as Jet was._

"Kobra... when we kissed yesterday..." Jet stammered.

Kobra looked like he was bracing himself for the worst.

"... It was one of the most _amazing_ things I've felt in a _long-ass_ time."

The blonde sighed abruptly, both relieved and excited. "Holy _fuck_ , Jet, you could'a told me that earlier today - I literally haven't stopped thinking about you since it happened, is that weird??"

"I've been so nervous because I didn't wanna force you to talk about it!! I didn't know what you'd say!!"

"WE LITERALLY BOTH SAID _'I LOVE YOU_ ' YESTERDAY, ARE YOU _KIDDING_ ME??"

Jet threw his face into his hands, blushing furiously. "I don't know why I was so nervous, I'm not experienced with the whole _romance_ thing, and I kinda thought you weren't into that!"

Kobra inched closer, putting his one hand tentatively on Jet's shoulder. "Honestly? At this point, I don't even know _what_ I'm into. But I'm willing to give it a shot if you are."

"You'd better believe I am," Jet murmured, leaning to close the gap between them

***

They'd made their way to the back seat, both their jackets were off, their faces were as flushed as they could possibly be, and they were making out like the hormonal teenagers they were, occasionally pausing to talk and catch their breath.

"You doing okay, Kobra?" Jet asked, breathing heavily as he leaned back in the seat.

"Yeah," Kobra gulped. "But I have some rules I gotta put on the table if this is gonna be A Thing."

"Fire away."

Kobra softly pecked the side of Jet's mouth. "First thing: I'm not touchy very often, you know this, so sometimes I might not wanna hug or anything, and that doesn't mean I don't like you."

"I know, I know, I'd never make you do something you're not comfortable with."

"Okay. Also, I'm uh... what you'd call, on the asexual spectrum, I think? So, don't expect much sexy stuff from me? I mean, I like the thought of doing that kinda thing, seems fun, but it's not like, an urge?"

"I totally feel you, man, I think I'm sort of the same."

"Awesome." Kobra put a finger over Jet's lips as the latter leaned to kiss him again, before continuing. "Second rule: don't ever talk to me about that experimental threesome you tried to have with Poison and Ghoul, I _don't_ wanna hear about my brother's smooches, that's _gross_."

"WE WERE _DRUNK_. Okay, it never happened, man."

Kobra smiled, letting Jet kiss him again. "Another thing, sometimes the shades don't come off. Ya gotta deal with it."

Jet giggled, wiping one of Kobra's stray hairs out of his face. "Duly noted. Anything else?"

"Sometimes terms like 'cute' and 'pretty' and 'sweetie' make me feel weird in a Gender Identity Way, y'know. What about you though, you got any rules besides those?"

"Just one I can think of. We've gotta work on our communication skills and not hide our feelings about things, talking about stuff like this is fucking _great_ , man."

Kobra breathed a laugh, running his fingers through Jet's curls. " _Duly fucking noted_ , man. So... do you wanna carry on with this whole kissing situation?"

"Yes, please," Jet sighed, while Kobra leaned in to kiss him once more.

Once they were fully comfortable with The Whole Kissing Situation, with Jet now lying back on the seat completely, and Kobra's legs straddling him, both of them had made the decision to, ever so slowly and shyly, remove their shirts. The process of this, had of course, messed up Kobra's gelled hair beyond all hope, but that was the least of his concerns right now, and his head was swimming.

They'd seen each other shirtless so many times before, living in a sweltering desert climate like this, so it shouldn't have been that big of a deal, but context was everything, and right now they were actually  _looking_ at each other, at every little detail. Both had significant scars - Jet's were wounds from long-forgotten fights, mostly near his stomach and ribs; Kobra's were neat, identical horizontal surgical scars, one on either side of his chest - the handiwork of one of D's old medical colleagues. And when they kissed again, their hands brushed over every detail, every freckle on Kobra's back, every bruise on Jet's side...

"Are you sure you wanna do this, Jet?" Kobra asked breathlessly.

"Only if you are."

***

_Once they had gotten dressed again, washed off with the oasis' pond water, and picked the flower they drove here for in the first place, the drive back home practically felt unreal, both of them completely emotionally exhausted. Sometimes they'd stop the car just to look at pretty scenery, and ask each other if that really just happened._

***

DJ Dr Death Defying had a pot with a little succulent flower in it, sitting on his desk the next day. He'd wrapped a ribbon neatly around the pot, one that came in the most neon green he could find - Tommy Chow Mein's favourite plant, wrapped in a colour that pissed him off. D chuckled at his own little inside joke, while sipping his morning coffee.

"You're looking chipper today, sunshine!" he smirked, looking up at Jet Star, who was skipping into the studio with his own cup of coffee, his dark curls bouncing with every move, as though his hair was as excited as he was.

"Oh yeah, I just saw that uhh, Chow Mein somehow got cupcakes in stock? I think I'm having a good morning, I think I might actually get some for _myself_ before everyone else does!"

D very casually raised an eyebrow. "Good morning, huh?"

"Mhmm"

"So, I'm assuming you finally got laid?"

Jet sputtered his coffee, spilling some onto the floor.

" _Shut up,_ D!" he chuckled, his face going beetroot red instantly.

D stared blankly down at the coffee spillage, and then back at Jet. "Son, I wanna congratulate you, but I also need to ask you a favour. Please let your boyfriend know he's gonna clean that up when he gets to the studio today, yeah?"

"Stop calling him my boyfriend, you don't _know_ it's Kobra," said Jet, avoiding eye contact with D, but unable to hide an extremely broad, soft smile.

D gave Jet his signature Knowing Smirk. "You keep telling yourself that, Kiddo."

Jet continued his bouncy stride on his way out of the studio, only stopping when Kobra himself was just in front of him, twirling the keys of the Trans Am on his finger, before handing them to Jet for the day.

"Clean up on isle 10," Jet joked. "Coffee spillage on the studio floor."

" _Fun_. Clean up on isle 2, back home. Ghoul hurled on the diner floor."

"Sounds _delightful_ ," Jet sighed, _oozing_ with sarcasm. "Hangover?"

"I think he just drank or ate some weird combination of shit I told him not to."

Jet pecked him on the cheek. "That boy couldn't _live_ without you."

" _Or you_ ," murmured Kobra, lowering his shades and winking. "Have a nice day, Star Man."

"You too, ya sneaky snake."

And with that, they walked in their separate directions for the day. Everything was back to normal, in a new 'Jet Star and Kobra Kid Are Secretly An Item' kind of way. And they were as content as they could possibly be.


End file.
